The Eldest Daughter Returns with Power

The actions of Yuwen Mo, Su Yunruo, and the Crown Prince in the capital aroused the vigilance of the General's Mansion. General Su keenly noticed that the Crown Prince's recent activities were unusually active, especially his movements in the capital. In addition, he had recently encountered a little girl on the streets of the capital who he felt he had seen somewhere before. After returning home, he mentioned this to his wife, Wang, who also had suspicions, worrying that it might be the girl who went missing years ago.

That day, General Su, in the name of his son Su Wenhan, invited the Third Prince Si Yunyuan to the General's residence. As the Crown Prince's biggest rival, Si Yunyuan had always kept a close eye on the Crown Prince's every move. When he received General Su's invitation, a hint of doubt arose in his mind. He had just returned from the General's residence yesterday; what could be so urgent? After pondering for a moment, he decided to go in person.

In the study of the General's mansion, General Su and Si Yunyuan sat facing each other. General Su cut to the chase, asking, "Your Highness, the Crown Prince has been investigating some of the First Princess's past affairs recently. Have you heard anything about it?"

Si Yunyuan frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and then replied, "I have indeed sensed something, but I'm not entirely clear on the specifics. Why would General Su suddenly bring this up?"

General Su sighed and said with a solemn expression, "To be honest, the Crown Prince's recent investigation into the past affairs of the First Princess's residence is making me quite worried! Moreover..." He paused and continued, "I think the Crown Prince's actions may be related to my daughter Su Yunruo, who went missing in my residence before."

A hint of surprise flashed in Si Yunyuan's eyes, and he quickly asked, "General Su, what makes you say that? Is there anything special about Miss Su's background?"

General Su hesitated for a moment, his lips trembling slightly as if he wanted to speak, but ultimately chose to remain silent. He thought to himself that this matter was far too important, concerning the life and death of the entire General's Mansion, and could not be easily revealed to others.

Si Yunyuan keenly noticed General Su's unusual behavior, stared at him intently, and slowly asked, "General Su, is there something inconvenient? If it's convenient, please tell me the truth."

General Su snapped out of his daze and quickly explained, "It's not that it's inconvenient, it's just that my daughter has been missing for many years, and there's not much point in bringing up these past events again."

Si Yunyuan nodded in understanding, then steered the conversation back to the original question, saying firmly, "General Su just mentioned that the Crown Prince's recent actions involve investigating the past affairs of the First Princess's residence, but that has little to do with me."

General Su's expression was solemn as he said in a low voice, "Your Highness, this matter is of utmost importance and is closely related to you. The eldest princess once wielded considerable power in the court, and now that the Crown Prince is investigating this matter, he is probably trying to use it to suppress you."

Si Yunyuan frowned, lost in thought, and after a moment it dawned on him: "General Su means that the Crown Prince wants to use the matter of the eldest princess to implicate people and things related to me?"

General Su nodded silently in agreement.

Si Yunyuan's expression darkened; he realized he had to be careful in dealing with this potential crisis. Meanwhile, Ning An, standing to the side, silently observed their conversation, pondering how to protect Si Yunyuan's safety.

General Su nodded: "Indeed. Your Highness must be wary." Si Yunyuan sneered: "This Crown Prince is truly scheming. In your opinion, General Su, how should I respond?" General Su's gaze was firm: "The only plan now is for us to strike first and find incriminating evidence against the Crown Prince." Si Yunyuan nodded slightly: "General Su is right, but where should we find such incriminating evidence?"

General Su stroked his beard: "Your Highness, perhaps we should start with those around the Crown Prince." Just then, a commotion suddenly erupted outside the study. General Su's expression changed: "Who's making such a racket outside?" A guard rushed in to report: "General, it's the Madam and Miss Biao arguing in the garden."

General Su frowned. "Go and see quickly." Si Yunyuan also stood up. "I will go with you." They arrived at the garden, where they found Madam Su and Miss Su arguing fiercely. General Su roared, "What kind of behavior is this!" Miss Su cried, "Uncle, Aunt is wronging me!" Madam Su retorted angrily, "You ignorant girl! When have I wronged you? You've grown up under my care; I treat you like my own daughter. How could you say such hurtful things?"

Seeing this, Si Yunyuan quickly advised, "General Su, Madam, please calm down! Don't get angry yet. Let's hear what Miss Su and Madam had argued about." After saying that, he looked at Miss Su beside him.

Miss Biao sobbed, explaining with a wronged expression, "Today I only picked a few flowers in the garden, but I didn't expect Madam to scold me for not knowing the rules and wantonly destroying things." As she spoke, tears still welled up in her eyes, making her look very pitiful.

Upon hearing this, Madam Su's eyes widened, and she retorted, "You little girl, do you even know what kind of flowers those are? They are the Imperial Concubine's favorite flowers! I went to great lengths to find these flowers, intending to send them to the Imperial Concubine in a few days. I usually take great care of them, afraid of damaging them in the slightest. How could you just break them like that?"

General Su frowned as he watched the two men sticking to their own versions of events. After a moment of contemplation, he said in a deep voice, "Alright, let's leave it at that. Stop arguing. We have more important matters to attend to." His voice was deep and powerful, commanding respect.

Everyone quieted down, awaiting General Su's next instructions. The scene became serious, and the atmosphere gradually grew heavy.

After everyone quieted down, Si Yunyuan took the opportunity to speak, "General Su, let's put aside the family matters for now and continue discussing what just happened."

General Su found this reasonable and nodded in agreement. Afterwards, the group returned to the study.

General Su said to Si Yunyuan with a serious expression, "Your Highness, in my opinion, the Crown Prince's advisor, Lord Liu, might be a breakthrough point."

Upon hearing this, Si Yunyuan couldn't help but ask curiously, "Is there anything special about this Lord Liu? Or rather, what are his weaknesses?"

General Su lowered his voice and quietly replied, "According to rumors, this Lord Liu is greedy and avaricious. Perhaps we can start from this angle."

Si Yunyuan thought for a moment, then decisively said, "Then send some people to secretly investigate his financial dealings. If we can find solid evidence, we can use it to threaten him."

Just then, a trusted aide rushed over, walked to General Su's side, and whispered a few words in his ear. After listening, General Su's face immediately turned extremely ugly, and he hurriedly said, "This is bad! It seems the Crown Prince has made a new move."

Si Yunyuan anxiously pressed, "What exactly happened? Tell me quickly!" General Su said gravely, "It's said that the Crown Prince has obtained some clues about the past affairs of the Grand Princess's residence." His tone revealed a hint of worry and unease. Upon hearing this news, Si Yunyuan's face darkened, his fists clenched, and a flicker of anxiety flashed in his eyes. He said, "What should we do?" He knew all too well that once these old stories were revealed, it would have a tremendous impact on them.

General Su took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. He looked at Si Yunyuan and comforted him, "Your Highness, please don't worry. Things haven't reached the point of no return. We need to act quickly and find a solution; perhaps there's still a chance."

Si Yunyuan nodded. He understood that time was of the essence and they had to act swiftly. They needed to carefully study the clues the Crown Prince possessed and find a countermeasure. At the same time, they also needed to closely monitor developments elsewhere to ensure they didn't find themselves in a passive position.

In the days that followed, the situation in the capital grew increasingly tense. Various factions secretly vied for power, their open and covert struggles escalating. A storm was brewing, and an even greater tempest seemed poised to engulf the entire capital. At this critical moment, the Crown Prince decided to seek out Yuwen Mo.

Upon seeing Yuwen Mo, the Crown Prince cut to the chase, saying, "Brother Yuwen, there's some progress on what you told me the other day. Call my junior sister over so we can discuss it together." His eyes were firm and full of expectation.